Photography Intern Arrested Whereas Overlaying Professional-Immigration Protest

A images intern and the journalist he was shadowing have been arrested whereas masking a pro-immigration protest in Cincinnati and reportedly “just doing their jobs.”

Photography intern Lucas Griffith and reporter Madeline Fening have been arrested on July 17 whereas masking a protest on the Roebling Bridge in Cincinnati for the information and leisure outlet CityBeat Cincinnati.

The demonstration, which blocked visitors on the bridge connecting Cincinnati and Kentucky, was organized after ICE detained Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former Cincinnati Children’s chaplain, on July 9.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Covington police arrested Fening and Griffith whereas they have been reporting on the protest, regardless of video that reportedly exhibits Fening telling officers she was a journalist. Both have been charged with first-degree rioting, a felony, together with a number of misdemeanors.

National journalist advocacy teams condemned the arrests. In an announcement to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Society of Professional Journalists Executive Director Caroline Hendrie says the group helps the reporters and urged authorities to drop all fees.

“We are deeply concerned that their First Amendment rights are being violated as we speak and that in effect, they were arrested for doing their jobs,” Hendrie says.

The ACLU of Kentucky, which represents Griffith and Fening, additionally says the pair ought to by no means have been arrested.

“A free press is critical to a functioning democracy, and those members of the press who, like our clients, merely cover a story enjoy the full protection of the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions to do so,” employees legal professional William Sharp says in an announcement. “We look forward to zealously defending them in court.”

Following strain from nationwide journalist advocacy teams, the felony fees in opposition to Fening and Griffith have been dismissed. Cincinnati Enquirer reports that prosecutors dismissed the felony rioting fees with prejudice throughout a preliminary listening to in Kenton County District Court on July 23, that means they can’t be refiled. The fees carried a attainable five-year jail sentence.

However, Fening and Griffith nonetheless face a number of misdemeanor counts, together with failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, felony mischief, and disorderly conduct. In an announcement on Instagram, CityBeat says it might “fully support” Fening and Griffith.

“Their commitment to journalistic integrity and professionalism is emblematic of the press freedoms the First Amendment is designed to protect, and we fully anticipate a complete vindication of their rights,” CityBeat says.

Fening and Griffith are scheduled to seem in courtroom once more on August 14. Covington Police Chief Brian Valenti beforehand stated that Fening didn’t have press credentials or something figuring out her as a member of the media whereas masking the protest.

Image credit: Header picture licensed by way of Depositphotos.